march2–15, 2020 | newyork 41lep had also been posting intimate photos of Hill on vari-
ous websites, which Hill said she knew about at the time.
Her face wasn’t visible, she said, and she wasn’t thinking
about any future consequences. “I was a fucking college
student, you know? And it was like, Okay, well, I’m down
to try, right?”
Hill began a career in the nonprofit sector, first work-
ing at an organization that helps at-risk youth, then at
People Assisting the Homeless (path), where she was
employed for eight years. Hill worked her way up to exec-
utive director, managing a $50 million budget and earn-
ing $174,000 a year. Heslep briefly held a job as an EMT
and also worked at path in a role Hill said wasn’t under
her purview. But from 2014 on, he was unemployed.
They bought the small ranch where Heslep grew up, and
while Hill worked, Heslep tended to their dogs, goats,
and chickens. The couple tried to have children, but Hill
said she was diagnosed with endometriosis and hadto
have an ovary removed.
Hill never thought about a career in politics until Presi-
dent Trump’s win. But she did have relevant experience:
At path, she’d worked on a $1.2 billion bond measureto
provide homelessness relief in the Los Angeles area, which
gave her a taste for legislating. She had management
chopsandgenuinerootsinthedistrict.AttheWomen’s
March,amongpinkhats andfeminist signs,shesawan
opportunity. “I knew therewasgoingtobeanadvantage
tobeingthefirst oneintherace,”shesaid,“andgenerating
ex citementastheyoungwomanrunning.”
Tokickoff hercampaignforCongress,Hill,then29,
organizeda meetingat a localChili’swithfamilymem-
bersandclosefriendstotalkstrategy.“Ihatetosay it,
butI don’t thinkanyonethoughtthat it wasevergoing
tohappen,”saysStevenson.Hill notonlymadeit
throughtheprimarybutwentontodefeattheRepub-
licanincumbent,SteveKnight—ina districtthat had
beenrepresentedbya Republicanformorethantwo
decades—by9 percentagepoints.
Evenintheearliest weeksof hercampaign,Hill proved
tobea charismaticnatural,abletopositionherselfasboth
progressiveenoughfortheresistanceandpalatable
enoughformoderatesandindependents.Shewasopenlybisexual
butmarriedtoa man.Shesupportedgun-safetylegislationbut
owneda gunherself.Hillsoldherselfasa “pragmaticprogressive,”
thescrappydaughterofa Republicanwhowouldcutthroughthe
bullshitinWashingtonandworkacrosstheaisle.
Totalkabouttheopioidcrisis,shewrotea piecefora localpaper
abouther17 -year-oldhalf-brother’s druguse,detailinghowshe’d
helpedhimrecover.To addressherviewsonhealthcare,shewrote
a story forBuzzFeedabouthowHeslep’slunghadcollapsedon
thedayofherbridalshower, puttingthecouple$200,000indebt.
InreactiontoKnight’s votingfora 20-weekabortionban,Hill
posteda videotoFacebook,detailinghowshe’d hadanunplanned
pregnancyat 18.In thevideo,Hill,whois pro-choice,saysshe
contemplatedhavinganabortion—onlytosuffera miscarriage
whiledecidingwhethertocontinuethepregnancy. (It’sa narrative
thatalsodoesn’t alienate eithersideoftheabortiondebate.)When
#WhyIDidntReport begantrendingonTwitter,Hillshareda
videoaboutsurvivingsexualassault.OnWorldSuicidePreven-
tionDay, shetweetedthat it wasthesecondanniversary ofa
friend’s deathfromsuicidebygun.
“Iguessit wasa consciousdecisioninthebeginningwhenI
decidedtorun.I wantedtosharethestoriesI feltlike people
needed,”Hilltoldme.“Atsomepoint,peoplewerelike, ‘She’s just
gota storyforeverything,’andit feelsa littleridiculous,butthis
happenedtome,andit justkeepsaddingup.”
Hill’s teamwasyoungandambitiousandhada tendency torun
fastandloose,withmessyresultsat times.Beforetheprimary, a
seniorHillstafferpostedonFacebookthat Californialieutenant
governorGavinNewsom(laterthegovernor)hadendorsedoneof
Hill’s primary opponentsoverherbecause“Hillwon’t sleepwith
[Newsom].I knowthisfora fact.”Thestafferpostedanapology
aboutthefalseaccusationthenext day, writing,inpart, “I’manalco-
holicandhavea longandtroubledhistorywithaddiction.”
Butsuchmisstepswereovershadowedbythecampaign’s strong
fund-raisingandgroundgame.Hill beganbuildinganarmy ofvol-
unteersandcameclosetomatchingbothher(male)primary oppo-
nentandKnightinearlyfund-raising.Fromthere,excitement
aroundwhatshecalledthe“most millennialcampaignever”snow-
balled.SheearnedendorsementsfrommajorgroupslikeEmily’s
ListandPlannedParenthoodaswellassupport fromcelebrities
(KristenBell,AlyssaMilano)andpoliticians(fromlocallawmakers
toPresidentObama).TheDemocraticCongressionalCampaign
Committee,impressedmorebythecandidatethanherteam,sent
resourcesandstaff. ShewentonCNNandTheLateLateShowWith
JamesCorden.Vicesenta documentary-filmcrewtofollowher
aroundaspartof a seriesonwomenrunningforoffice.Sheappeared
withotherfirst-timefemalecandidatesonthecoverofTime.Hill’s
campaigneventuallyraisedanimpressive$8.4 million.Top: On Election Night in 2018. Bottom:
At her swearing-in with Heslep.